Oscar Nominees Among Most-Pirated Films

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Despite attempts by Hollywood to curtail the practice, movie
pirating continues to be quite popular amongst Internet users.

News site TorrentFreak provided a list of the top 10 films
pirated through BitTorrent for the past week, and several popular
favorites made the list, including several that are still in
theaters — and up for contention at this year's Academy Awards.

Leading the list at number one, however, is "Wreck-It Ralph,"
lighter fare not nominated for an Oscar. Disney's CG-animated
comedy/adventure features a video game villain trying to create a
new life for himself. The film has made $183 million at the box
office, so pirating hasn't done too much damage to its
earnings, though the movie is a bit less profitable than most
Pixar-produced films. [See also:
"Disney Infinity" Game Could Be Summer's Biggest Blockbuster ]

James Bond's latest adventure, " Skyfall,"
claims the second spot, though the movie is still expected to
earn plenty from paying customers with its release on DVD/Blu-Ray
next Tuesday.

A number of Oscar contenders also managed to make the list. The
colorful Ang Lee epic "Life of Pi" sits firmly at number three;
Paul Thomas Anderson's drama "The Master," which follows a "lost
soul" joining up with a cult, ranked in at number five.

"Argo," Ben Affleck's tale of a real-life hostage rescue, comes
in at number seven, and "Silver Linings Playbook," David O.
Russell's frequently nominated love story featuring Bradley
Cooper and Jennifer Lawrence, ranked number six. (That film,
however, is still doing well at the box office, on its way to a
$100 million haul from strong word-of mouth.)

However, one film that could very well be suffering damage from
pirating is Warner Bros.' crime drama "Gangster Squad," which
features Sean Penn and Josh Brolin. The film has made only $43
million at the box office thus far, lower than expected
considering its star-studded cast.